Vitruvs Proportionsfigur - Eine Metapher für Maß und Geometrie

The article explains Vitruvius' famous proportion figure against the backdrop of ancient construction technology and ancient meteorology. The main focus here is on the use of anthropomorphic measurements, yardsticks and geometric procedures as well as a precise explanation of terms such as ‘mensura’, ‘symmetria’ and ‘eurythmia’. Vitruvius' figure of proportion thus illustrated the meaning of anthropomorphic standard measures, their system of definition, their use and the principles of their practical utility, as well as the use of technical instruments in the design of buildings and parts of buildings. These principles, which can be subsumed under the concepts of eurythmia and symmetria or modus and mensura, are illustrated anthropomorphically in the figure described. One aspect of the theoretically and practically far-reaching anthropomorphic conception of architecture is the achievement of the high precision essential for stone architecture, another is the overarching system of metrological principles of calibration and proportioning.